Amazon announces its first-ever Kindle for kids
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If you want to get your kids to read more instead of watching TV, Amazon hasn't forgotten about you or your kid. Alongside the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition tablet the company announced today, Amazon took the wraps off the Kindle Kids Edition, its first-ever e-reader aimed at children. For an additional $20 over the cost of a normal Kindle, the Kids Edition comes with one of four colorful cases, a two-year worry-free guarantee and one-year of complimentary access to the company's FreeTime Unlimited service.
With the two year guarantee, Amazon says it'll replace the device for free should anything happen to it. FreeTime Unlimited, if you're not familiar, offers some 20,000 kid-friendly books, videos and apps. It works across multiple devices, so you have a backup when your kid wants to do something else. You can add it to your existing Prime subscription for $2.99 per month. Otherwise, it costs $4.99 per month. Amazon also has prepaid yearly options for families with either one or more children.
Amazon has also added a variety of new software features to keep kids reading. In addition to the Kindle's built-in dictionary, the Kids Edition includes a feature called Word Wise that will automatically define any difficult words. The e-reader will turn any word a child lookups into a flashcard for later review. There are also achievement badges to earn, as well as more fun wallpapers than the ones that come standard with the company's other Kindles. It's also worth mentioning the Kids Edition is based on the Kindle update Amazon announced in March, so it includes an adjustable front light.
At $109.99, the Kindle Kids Edition is more expensive than the $89.99 Kindle but not as pricey as the $129.99 Paperwhite. The Kindle Kids Edition is available to pre-order starting today, and it will ship on October 30th. If you buy two of the e-readers at the same time, Amazon will give you 25 percent off the total price of the two products.